Wire-stretcher.



No. 668,970. Patented Feb. 26, |90I. E. J. BERRY.

WIRE STRETCHEB.

(Applicatiun filed Oct. 5, 1900.)

(No Model.)

lNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.V

EDDIE J. BERRY, OF FRANKLIN, KENTUCKY.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

SEEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,970, dated February26, 1901.

Application tiled October 5, 1900. Serial No. 32,144. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDDIE J. BERRY, a citi- ,zen of the United States,residing at Frank- `to provide improved means for holding the loopedportion of the wire which has been stretched while the device is beingadjusted to obtain a new grip upon the wire for further stretchingthereof, and, finally, to provide for conveniently holding the oppositeends of adjacent wires while the same are being spliced withoutinterrupting the electric current.

Vith these and other objects in View the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accom panying drawings,and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure lY is a side elevag tion of awire-stretcherconstructed iu accordance with the present invention. Fig.2 is a similar View showing the manner of obtaining a new grip upon thewire for further stretching thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view taken onthe line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Corresponding parts are designated by like characters of reference inall of the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a straight metal bar having itsupper edge provided with ratchet-teeth or notches 2. At

one end of this bar there is'provided a laterally-projecting slotted orbifurcated shoulder 3, forming a guide for the wire to be stretched, aswill be hereinafter described. At the opposite end of the bar aprojection or ear 4 rises from one side of the bar, and a wiregrippingcam 5 is pivoted to the inner side of the ear, so as to cooperate withthe upper edge of the bar to bind a wire thereagainst. Thewire-stretching member comprises a subst-antially U-shaped frame 6,which is pendent from the bar and has one end looped over the bar, asindicated at 7, so as to form a slidable connection therewith. Theopposite end of the frame is bifurcated, so as to slidably receive thebar, as best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. A suitable ratchet pawl 8is mounted between the opposite sides of the bifurcated portion of theframe, so as to engage the ratchet-teeth ol' the rack-bar l, and therebyhold the stretching member against rearward movement n pon the bar. Tomove this stretching frame or member from the guide end of the bartoward the opposite end thereof, there is provided an upright lever 9,the lower end of which is bifurcated, so as to straddle the bar and theintermediate portion of the frame 6, to which it is fulcrumed by meansof a suitable pivot-pin 10. The bifurcated portion of the lever extendsa suitable distance above the bar, and mounted therein is a ratchet-paw]11, which projects at. the rear side of the lever or toward theratchet-pawl of the frame, so that when the lever is in the positionshown in Fig. 1 by forcing the upper or free end of the leverrearwardly, as indicated by the arrow, and thereby swinging said leverupon an intermediate fulcrum aorded by the pawl 11 in engagement withthe rack bar the frame will be moved forwardly upon said bar. NVhen thelever has reached its rearward limit, it is thrown forward to engage thepawl 11 with another tooth of the rackbar, and the operation isrepeated, thereby moving the frame longitudinally upon the rack-bar witha step-by-step movement. It will be understood that the pawl 8 preventsa rearward movement of the frame when the lever is being swung forwardlyfor a new engagement with the rack-bar.

The wire is designed to be connected to the movable frame or member bymeans of the oppositely-disposed upper and lower wiregripping clamps orcams 12 and 13, which are pivoted to the bifurcated end of the frame andare located upon the same side of the rack-bar as is the wire-guide 3.Located between the active inner edges of these clamps or cams is anoutwardly-directed rib or shoulder 14, with the upper and lower sides ofwhich the cams are designed to coperate to clamp upon the wire.

In using the device a wire 15 is passed through the guide 3, thenengaged by the upper clamp 12, and finally gripped by the terminal clamp5 at the opposite end of the rackbar. The lever is then operated, ashereinbefore described, to move the movable member toward the clamp 5,thereby stretching the left-hand portion of the wire toward the rright-hand portion thereof and forming a looped loose portion 16, whichis drawn over and placed between the lower cam 13 and the shoulder 14,so as to fixedly hold the opposite portions of the wire, and therebyprevent the slack from being taken up whenl the pawls 8 andll are thrownout of engagement with the rack-bar and thelatter slid through theframe, so as to locate the movable frame or member at the guide end ofthe bar in order that the stretching operation may be continued. It willof course be understood that the terminal clamp 5 is disengaged from thewire when the bar is to be slid forwardly, and afterward the lower clamp13 yis disengaged, sof'that the movable member may be freely movedforwardly.

From the foregoing description i-t will be understood that the presentdevice is applied directly to the intermediate portion of a wire anddoes not require any other support.A Also the stretching operation maybe continued indefinitely without changing the device from one place toanother upon the wire. Should it be desired to splice a broken wire, oneend thereof is held by the terminal clamp 5 and the other end held bythe clamp 12, whereby the rack-bar forms an electric connection betweenthe two wires, so that the electric current is not' interrupted whilethe wires are being spliced.

What is claimed ise 1. A wire-stretcher, comprising a ratchetbar, havinga wire-gripping clamp, a movable stretching member slidablelongitudinally upon the bar, and provided with a ratchetpawl forengagement with the latter, a ratchetlever mounted upon the movablemember and in engagement with` the ratchet-bar, a wire gripping andstretching clamp carried by the movable member, and aloose-wire-gripping clamp also carried by the movable member andarranged oppositely to the other clamp.

2. A wire-stretcher, comprising a bar, having a wire-gripping clamp, astretching member movable longitudinally upon the bar, operating meansfor moving the stretching member,oppositelyacting wire-gripping cams,and a coperating shoulder located between the active edges of the cams.

3. A wire-stretcher, comprising a ratchetbar, having a wire-grippingclam p, a pendent stretching member movable longitudinally upon the bar,and having a ratchet-pawl in engagement with said bar, a ratchet-levermounted upon the stretching member and in engagement with theratchet-bar, upper and lower oppositely-acting wire-gripping camspivoted upon the stretching member, and a lateral shoulder locatedbetween and coperating with the active edges of the cams.

4L. A wire-stretcher comprising a ratchetbar, having a wire-grippingclamp, a substantially U-shaped stretching member pendent from and alsoslidable longitudinally upon the bar, one end of the member beingbifurcated for the reception of the bar, a ratchet-Y pawl mounted withinthe bifurcation and in engagement with the ratchet-bar, upper and loweroppositely-acting wire-gripping cams pivoted upon the bifurcated end ofthe member, a lateral shoulder projecting outwardly from the member andlocated between the active edges of the cams, and a bifurcatedoperating-lever straddling the bar and the intermediate portion of thestretching member, a pivotal connection between the lever and themember, and a pawl mounted in the bifurcation of the lever and engagingthe ratchetbar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDDIE J. BERRY.

Witnesses:

JAMES T. LONG, W. I-I. BRYAN.

